Using the Nokia N95 as a game console

So we have told you about the camera, GPS, etc, now let’s talk about the fun stuff. I’ve recently tried a selection of different games on the Nokia N95 using its TV Out feature.

Overall, playing games through TV Out works really well. The N95’s QVGA resolution is surprisingly good on a large screen, and at least one game (System Rush Evolution) seemed to be outputting at VGA resolution. TV Out easily crosses the “good enough” threshold, it makes a totally plausible home games system, and while it will never catch up with the technical abilities of the latest dedicated home consoles, perhaps it doesn’t have to. The Nintendo Wii didn’t even try to match the graphics of the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, yet it is now outselling both of them put together several times over.

One thing the N95 is missing as a gaming console is a proper controller. Yes, you can use the phone’s own controls, but the TV Out cable is quite short. Alternatively you can use the bluetooth keyboard, but a bluetooth controller would be even better. It wouldn’t be that difficult to do either, it could use the same Bluetooth standard that the keyboard does.

TV Out on S60 smartphones will be made even more useful to gamers when the Next Gen N-Gage platform launches this autumn. Hopefully they will all look as good on television as the System Rush Evolution demo.

In related news, a new slimmer version of the PlayStation Portable is also due out in the autumn which will feature a TV Out socket. Hopefully that will help bring TV Out gaming well into the mainstream where it deserves to be, because it’s a really good idea. It is my opinion that portable gaming systems will gradually take over from non-portable ones, even in the home.